Second driver critical after fatal holiday crash

FIVE people remain in Melbourne hospitals after a head-on collision between a campervan and a four-wheel-drive west of Portland on Wednesday.

Five motorists are in Melbourne hospitals after a head-on collision between a campervan and a four-wheel-drive west of Portland on Wednesday.

The driver of the campervan, who was on holiday with his family from Germany, died at the scene on the Portland-Nelson Road.

One person was flown via helicopter to Melbourne. Another three people followed shortly after in a fixed-wing aircraft.

The elderly driver of the four-wheel-drive, from New South Wales, was taken to the Portland hospital before being transferred to The Alfred last night. He remains in a critical condition. The elderly female passenger of the same vehicle was transferred to Melbourne from Portland yesterday afternoon.

A 19-year-old female passenger in the campervan was flown from the scene and is in a serious condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Two male passengers in the campervan — a 14-year-old and an eight-year-old — were taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital where one boy is in a critical condition. The other boy was listed as stable.

A 39-year-old female passenger in the campervan was reported to be in a stable condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

A police spokesman said investigations into the collision were ongoing and called for any witnesses to call Crime Stoppers.

Portland District Health chief executive officer Christine Giles said the hospital’s emergency department was put onto “code brown” and treated three critically injured patients from the crash before they were transferred to Melbourne.

She said Wednesday was busy for the hospital, dealing with three emergency situations including a broken gas pipe and a request to provide meals for firefighters battling the Mount Clay bushfire.

“It is a credit to our staff that they were able to react with such professional and timely care in difficult circumstances,” Ms Giles said.